Wifey part 5
I started this Rant series with this verse in Genesis 2:24, and its where I want to end it too. "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." And the word "wife" is number 802 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance. It means, "together, wife, woman." And that's the point of my whole Rant series! Together. Walking hand in hand. Taken from the rib--side--of the man so that neither is higher than the other. Its a partnership. Any real relationship has to be a partnership. And it has to be rooted and grounded in love. That's what cleaving together is all about. That's what being one flesh is all about. Making that decision--that vow--to share your life with someone. To forsake all others. To know that, at the end of the day, its husband and wife. Figuring things out with each other. Standing back to back against any and every thing. But think about that for a minute--leaving mother and father. Leaving that safety net and striking out on your own. That can be scary. And, I mean, I loaded up my truck and drove to California shortly after graduating from high school, so for me it wasn't something I dreaded. But the point I'm making is, "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18). The reason God created the woman was because was, in a sense, incomplete without her. It wasn't good for man to be alone. We aren't supposed to try to do this life all by ourselves. Its too big. Honestly, its too hard. What's the old saying? "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Its a marathon, not a sprint. And in some ways its a relay race. Handing the baton off when you've done your part and trusting your partner to do their part. Listen: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom. Because we all need help. And for a long time in our lives its our parents who help us. But there comes a time when we have to put away childish things and enter into adulthood. Maturity. Now, that's not to say we have to do it ourselves. The opposite. We simply find a partner that, in a sense, completes us. And I'm not saying we are incomplete as in we're not enough. Not good enough. But I AM saying, there are some things my amazing, beautiful wife can do that I can't. Like making phone calls, for example. Off the top of my head. So when you feel like you CAN'T do everything... you're right. But you're not supposed to. You're supposed to have someone to lean on. But don't forget that its a two way street. YOU are the person THEY can lean on. Receiving and releasing. Letting people help you and helping people. Again: Partnership. Hand in hand. Picking up the slack where you can, and letting them pick up your slack when you need to. Figuring things out together. Not one leading and one following, but both walking together. Does that take hard work? Compromise? Sacrifice? Of course it does. But is it worth it? Of course it is!